Peer Device Protection

ABSTRACT

Examples of the present disclosure describe systems and methods for peer device protection. Peer device protection enables a first device comprising a digital security agent to remedy security issues on (or associated with) a set of devices visible to the first device. In aspects, a first device comprising a digital security agent may identify a set of devices visible to the first device. The first device may monitor the set of devices to collect data, such as types of communications and data points of interest. The digital security agent may apply threat detection to the collected data to identify anomalous network behavior. When anomalous network behavior is detected, the first device may cause an indicator of compromise (IOC) to be generated. Based on the IOC, the first device may facilitate remediation of the anomalous network behavior and/or apply security to one or more devices in the set of devices.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application No.62/526,573, filed Jun. 29, 2017, entitled “Peer Device Protection,”which application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Cybersecurity has become a paramount concern in the ever-expanding realmof the internet of things (IoT) network. Historically, cybersecurity hasbeen implemented and monitored on individual endpoint agents. However,many IoT devices are configured proprietarily and/or cannot supportendpoint agents. As a result, such IoT devices are not only vulnerableto malicious attacks, but also introduce vulnerability points to otherdevices sharing a network with the IoT devices.

It is with respect to these and other general considerations that theaspects disclosed herein have been made. Also, although relativelyspecific problems may be discussed, it should be understood that theexamples should not be limited to solving the specific problemsidentified in the background or elsewhere in this disclosure.

SUMMARY

Examples of the present disclosure describe systems and methods for peerdevice protection. Peer device protection enables a first devicecomprising a digital security agent to actively and/or passively detect,mitigate, prevent and/or remediate security issues on (or associatedwith) a set of devices visible to the first device. In aspects, a firstdevice comprising (or having access to) a digital security agent orsimilar security solution may identify a set of devices visible to thefirst device. The first device may monitor the set of devices to collectdata, such as types of communications and data points of interest. Thedigital security agent may apply threat detection to the collected datato identify anomalous network behavior. When anomalous network behavioris detected, the first device may cause an indicator of compromise (IOC)to be generated. Based on the IOC, the first device may facilitateremediation of the anomalous network behavior and/or apply security toone or more devices in the set of devices.

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This Summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tobe used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Additionalaspects, features, and/or advantages of examples will be set forth inpart in the description which follows and, in part, will be apparentfrom the description, or may be learned by practice of the disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Non-limiting and non-exhaustive examples are described with reference tothe following figures.

FIG. 1 illustrates an overview of an example system for peer deviceprotection as described herein.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example input processing unit for implementingpeer device protection as described herein.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example method for implementing peer deviceprotection as described herein.

FIG. 4 illustrates one example of a suitable operating environment inwhich one or more of the present embodiments may be implemented.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various aspects of the disclosure are described more fully below withreference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, andwhich show specific example aspects. However, different aspects of thedisclosure may be implemented in many different forms and should not beconstrued as limited to the aspects set forth herein; rather, theseaspects are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough andcomplete, and will fully convey the scope of the aspects to thoseskilled in the art. Aspects may be practiced as methods, systems ordevices. Accordingly, aspects may take the form of a hardwareimplementation, an entirely software implementation or an implementationcombining software and hardware aspects. The following detaileddescription is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense.

The present disclosure describe systems and methods for peer deviceprotection. Peer devices, as used herein, may refer to two or morecomputing devices that are connected to or visible to one another via anetwork or similar connection. In some aspects, peer devices may sharesimilar architectures, configurations, privileges and permission sets,resources (e.g., disk storage, CPUs, etc.), applications/programs, etc.without requiring centralized coordination by, for example, a host orserver device. In other aspects, peer device may be dissimilar in type,operating systems, capabilities, etc. For example, one or more peerdevices in a network may be IoT devices. The IoT devices may compriselimited processing capacity and configurability. Accordingly, such IoTdevices may not be installed with a security solution and/or may not becapable of installing a security solution. As a result, a peer devicehaving access to one or more sources of cybersecurity (e.g., a peersecurity device) may be used to provide security for peer devices thatdo not (and cannot) access to cybersecurity. Examples of cybersecuritysources include computer code instruction sets, security services,security programs/applications, security agents, and the like. Thecybersecurity may provide for actively and/or passively detecting,mitigating, preventing and/or remediating security issues. In examples,cybersecurity sources may be located or installed locally to the peersecurity device, remotely to the peer security device, or somecombination thereof. As a particular example, a security agent fordetecting and/or remediating security threats may be installed directlyon the peer security device.

In aspects, the peer security device may detect and/or identify a set ofdevices visible and/or accessible to the peer security device. The setof devices may comprise one or more devices that are peer devices to thepeer security device. The peer devices may include devices such asmobile devices, laptops, desktop PCs, tablets, wearable devices, etc.The peer security device may monitor the peer devices and networkcommunications thereof to collect and/or detect data, such as networkand/or device events, network information, device information, devicetypes and identifiers, instruction sets and scripts, files anddocuments, data objects, etc. The monitoring may include activemonitoring techniques (e.g., remote port scans, device pen tests, etc.)or passive monitoring techniques (e.g., monitoring network traffic,event logs, etc.). The peer security device may evaluate the datacollected/detected via the monitoring by applying one or more of thecybersecurity sources (or features thereof). As a result of theevaluation, network behavior of the monitored peer devices may beidentified and/or classified as anomalous. When anomalous networkbehavior is detected, the peer security device may cause an indicator ofcompromise (IOC) to be generated. An IOC, as used herein, may refer toan artifact or event observed in a network or operating environment thatindicates a high probability of a security threat or attack. Anon-exhaustive list of IOCs include atypical account and/or networkactivity, unusual configuration changes, virus signatures, URLs, domainnames, IP addresses, wireless radio signals, ciphers and hashes,embedded scripts, device names/types, port probing, etc. Based on thedetermined IOC(s), the peer security device may facilitate remediationof the anomalous network behavior by, and/or apply security to, one ormore of the peer devices. In examples, facilitating the remediation mayinclude using the peer security device to execute a security serviceagainst the peer device, installing security on the peer device,modifying the configuration of one or more network devices (e.g., afirewall, a router, etc.) or peer devices, interrupting the networktraffic between an attacker/suspicious device and a peer device,leveraging a third party security solution, etc.

Accordingly, the present disclosure provides a plurality of technicalbenefits including but not limited to: actively and passively monitoringpeer device network behavior; applying threat detection to peer devicesnot having enabled security using a security-enabled peer device;generating IOCs on behalf of a peer device not having enabled security;installing security on a peer device not having enabled security; usinga device to remediate a security issue on a peer device; reducing theresource expenditure to provide security to one or more peer devices;providing cascading security to new and existing peer devices; applyingmachine learning techniques to evaluate network traffic; providingreal-time threat analysis to peer networks; and improved efficiency andquality for applications/services utilizing examples of the presentdisclosure, among other examples.

FIG. 1 illustrates an overview of an example system for peer deviceprotection, as described herein. Example system 100 presented is acombination of interdependent components that interact to form anintegrated whole for peer device protection systems. Components of thesystems may be hardware components or software implemented on and/orexecuted by hardware components of the systems. In examples, system 100may include any of hardware components (e.g., used to execute/runoperating system (OS)), and software components (e.g., applications,application programming interfaces (APIs), modules, virtual machines,runtime libraries, etc.) running on hardware. In one example, an examplesystem 100 may provide an environment for software components to run,obey constraints set for operating, and utilize resources or facilitiesof the system 100, where components may be software (e.g., application,program, module, etc.) running on one or more processing devices. Forinstance, software (e.g., applications, operational instructions,modules, etc.) may be run on a processing device such as a computer,mobile device (e.g., smartphone/phone, tablet, laptop, personal digitalassistant (PDA), etc.) and/or any other electronic devices. As anexample of a processing device operating environment, refer to theexample operating environments depicted in FIG. 4. In other examples,the components of systems disclosed herein may be spread across multipledevices. For instance, input may be entered on a client device andinformation may be processed or accessed from other devices in anetwork, such as one or more server devices.

As one example, the system 100 comprises client devices 102A-C, peernetwork environment 104, remote devices 106A-C, and distributed network108. One of skill in the art will appreciate that the scale of systemssuch as system 100 may vary and may include more or fewer componentsthan those described in FIG. 1. In some examples, interfacing betweencomponents of the system 100 may occur remotely, for example, wherecomponents of system 100 may be spread across one or more devices of adistributed network.

In aspects, client devices 102A-C may represent peer devices of peernetwork 104. The peer devices may be of various types, models,configurations and/or capabilities. In examples, at least one of thepeer devices may have access to one or more sources of cybersecurity,while at least one of the peer devices may not. The cybersecuritysources may be located or installed locally to the peer device, remotelyto the peer device, or some combination thereof. For instance, clientdevice 102A may be installed with a security agent (not shown) foractively and/or passively detecting, mitigating, preventing and/orremediating security issues detected in peer network 104; whereas,client devices 102B and 102C may not comprise (or have access to) thesecurity agent or comparable security utilities. Alternatively, clientdevice 102A may comprise an API or a service that interacts, viadistributed network 108, with a security utility on one or more remotedevices, such as remote devices 106A-C. Remote devices 106A-C mayrepresent devices that are not connected or visible to one or more ofthe peer devices.

Peer network 104 may enable client devices 102A-C to access and transmitdata to each other without the use of a centralized system or aclient-server model. Alternately, peer network 104 may comprise acentralized component or architecture that facilitates the client-servermodel. In addition to client devices 102A-C, peer network 104 maycomprise one or more network devices, such as a firewall (not shown), agateway (not shown), or the like. In aspects, client device(s) havingaccess to cybersecurity may monitor the network communication andbehaviors of peer devices on peer network 104. In examples, themonitoring by the client device may include active monitoring and/orpassive monitoring. For example, client device 102A (installed with asecurity agent) may actively monitor client devices 102B and 102C byperiodically performing port scans to identify unsecured ports. Asanother example, client device 102A (installed with a security agent)may passively monitor client devices 102B and 102C by continuouslymonitoring communications between local network devices, inboundcommunications from remote devices and communications between peerdevices. In some examples, the monitoring by the client device mayinclude recording data to one or more data stores (not shown) assessableto peer network 104. In aspects, peer network 104 may provide clientdevices 102A-C access to remote services and/or devices, such as remotedevices 106A-C, via distributed network 108. Client device(s) havingaccess to cybersecurity may monitor the network communications betweendevices on peer network 104 and remote devices. The monitoring mayinclude the active and passive monitoring techniques described above.

In aspects, client devices 102A-C may be configured to apply threatdetection techniques to the data monitored and/or recorded on peernetwork 104. Threat detection techniques may include the use of securitytools and utilities associated with virus detection, threat vectorgeneration and analysis, URL analysis, malware detection, networkanalysis (e.g., traffic analysis, protocol analysis, wireless radioscanning, etc.), endpoint analysis, threat models, etc. The threatdetection techniques may be used identify anomalous network behavior andevents associated with one or more peer devices. In examples,identifying anomalous network behavior and events may include comparingrecorded network activity to one or more device and/or network profiles,applying machine learning or a set of rules to network activity,evaluating the recorded activity against a list (e.g., a white list,black list, etc.) of known devices/services or features, evaluating oneor more network trends/analyses, evaluating recorded data values againstone or more threshold values, etc. In some aspects, when anomalousnetwork activity is detected, client devices 102A-C may cause one ormore indicators of compromise (IOC) to be generated or determined. Forexample, client device 102A (installed with a security agent) maygenerate an IOC corresponding to anomalous network activity betweenclient device 102B and a remote device. Based on the IOC, one or moreclient devices having access to a source of cybersecurity may facilitatethe remediation of the anomalous network behavior associated with one ormore of the peer devices. In examples, facilitating the remediation mayinclude providing the determined IOC to a remediation component,evaluating the IOC to determine a corresponding remedial action,reporting the IOC, initiating a remedial action, etc.

FIG. 2 illustrates an overview of an example input processing device 200for peer device protection, as described herein. The peer deviceprotection techniques implemented by input processing device 200 maycomprise the peer device protection techniques and content described inFIG. 1. In alternative examples, a single system (comprising one or morecomponents such as processor and/or memory) may perform processingdescribed in systems 100 and 200, respectively.

With respect to FIG. 2, input processing unit 200 may comprise securityagent 202. Security agent 202 may provide for actively and/or passivelydetecting, mitigating, preventing and/or remediating security issues on(or associated with) a set of devices visible to input processing unit200. In aspects, security agent 202 may comprise or otherwise interfacewith device detection engine 204, monitoring agent 206, threat detectionengine 208 and remediation engine 210.

Device detection engine 202 may be configured to detect or identifydevices on a network, such as peer network 104. In aspects, devicedetection engine 202 may identify the devices connected to a network. Toidentity the devices, device detection engine 202 may use a networkscanning utility, listener component and/or discovery protocols todetect when devices connect to (or attempt to connect to) a network oranother device. The identification may include determining deviceinformation (e.g., identifier, type, configuration, address, etc.),determining user information (e.g., identifier, group/member data,permission sets, etc.), evaluating network activity and behavior, etc.Device detection engine 202 may record the identified device data over aperiod of time in one or more data stores (not shown). In one example,the data in the data stores may be used to generate a time-basedperspective of detected devices.

Monitoring agent 204 may be configured to monitor the communications andbehaviors of one or more devices. In aspects, monitoring agent 204 maycomprise one or more monitoring modes. The monitoring modes may be usedto monitor network activity on a shared network or communication link.Examples of such networks/communication links include IP networks,cellular networks, over-the-air (OTA) networks, Bluetoothcommunications, near-field communications (NFC), etc. In examples, themonitoring modes of monitoring agent 204 may include a passivemonitoring mode. The passive monitoring mode may enable monitoring agent204 to perform passive monitoring of communications between peer devicesand communications between one or more peer devices and a remote deviceusing, for example, a network scanning utility, listener componentand/or discovery protocols. In one example, monitoring agent 204 maycomprise a promiscuous mode, in which all (or substantially all) networkdata packets received by input processing unit 200 (or the peer networkthereof) are processed and/or evaluated. The promiscuous mode may enablemonitoring agent 204 to collect additional data about the devicesconnected to (or attempting to connect to) a network. In some examples,the monitoring modes of monitoring agent 204 may additionally oralternately include an active monitoring mode. The active monitoringmode may enable monitoring agent 204 to proactively request data packetsand information from peer and/or remote devices at periodic intervals,on demand, or upon the satisfaction of one or more criteria. As anexample, monitoring agent 204 may perform (or cause the performance of)periodic penetration tests of peer devices and peer device networks todetect vulnerabilities, such as software flaws and weaknesses,unoptimized hardware configurations, unauthorized hardware/softwaremodifications, rogue access points, etc. As another example, monitoringagent 204 may cause a third party service to assess the security and/orexposure of one or more peer devices, or the authorization of one ormore access points.

Monitoring agent 204 may further be configured to build a behaviorprofile. In aspects, monitoring agent 204 may use monitored data tobuild one or more device and/or network behavior profiles. Such behaviorprofiles may describe or represent expected behavior, events and/orstates for one or more users, accounts, devices, device types, networks,or the like. For example, a behavior profile may be generated for eachpeer device visible to input processing unit 200. The behavior profilesmay be stored, visualized and/or manipulated by a user interface element(not shown) accessible to monitoring agent 204.

Threat detection engine 208 may be configured to evaluate monitoreddata. In aspects, threat detection engine 208 may comprise (or haveaccess to) one or more data evaluation utilities, such as decisionlogic, one or more rule sets, or machine learning models. A model, asused herein, may refer to a predictive or statistical language modelthat may be used to determine a probability distribution over one ormore word, character sequences or events, and/or to predict a responsevalue from one or more predictors. In examples, a model may be arule-based model, a machine-learning regressor, a machine-learningclassifier, a neural network, or the like. Threat detection engine 208may apply such data evaluation utilities to the data monitored bymonitoring agent 204. For example, threat detection engine 208 may applymachine learning techniques to a set of monitored data for peer devicesof input processing unit 200. Applying the machine learning techniquesmay include parsing the monitored data to generate a set of features,and using the set of features to construct one or more feature vectors.A feature vector, as used herein, may refer to an n-dimensional vectorof numerical features that represent one or more objects. Threatdetection engine 208 may then evaluate the feature vectors to determinewhether the monitored data represents, or is otherwise indicative of,anomalous device or network behavior. In examples, evaluating thefeature vectors may include comparing the monitored data to one or morebehavior profiles, evaluating the monitored data against a list (e.g., awhite list, black list, etc.) of known devices/services orfeatures/events, evaluating one or more network trends/analyses,generating one or more threat metrics, comparing threat metrics to oneor more threshold values, etc.

Threat detection engine 208 may further be configured to generateindicators of compromise (IOCs). In aspects, when threat detectionengine 208 identifies anomalous device or network behavior, an IOCrepresentative of the anomalous behavior may be generated. The IOC maycomprise an identifier, one or more keywords, a link (e.g., to supportdocumentation, FAQs, a remedy agent, network activity data, etc.), anexecutable script, a set of instructions, etc. In some examples, threatdetection engine 208 may generate the IOC. In other examples, securityagent 202 may provide one or more of the generated feature vectors to aseparate component, such as an issue tracking utility, a notificationgeneration utility, or the like. The separate component, which may beimplemented locally or remotely to input processing device 200, may thengenerate and/or track the IOC.

Remediation engine 210 may be configured to perform one or moreremediation actions when anomalous activity is identified. In aspects,remediation engine 210 may have access to one or more IOCs. The IOCs maybe indicative of a security threat or attack to a peer device or peerdevice network. Remediation engine 210 may evaluate an IOC to determinean appropriate set of actions that may be performed to remedy the threatto the peer device/network. Evaluating an IOC may comprise parsing theIOC to identify an identifier or keyword, and using the identifiedinformation to determine a threat type. In some examples, remediationengine 210 may use the determined threat type to initiate (or suggestthe initiation of) an action. In other examples, remediation engine 210may initiate (or schedule the initiation of) an action based on anon-demand user request or the fulfillment of a set of criteria.Non-exhaustive examples of actions available to remediation engine 210may include causing security agent 202 to install itself (or a copy orinstance thereof) on one or more peer devices, executing a threatsolution for a peer device using the security agent of a separate peerdevice (such as input processing device 200), modifying theconfiguration of one or more network devices (e.g., a firewall, arouter, etc.) or peer devices, interrupting the network traffic betweenan attacker/suspicious device and a peer device and leveraging anexternal security solution to apply security to one or more peer devicesbased on an IOC.

Having described various systems that may be employed by the aspectsdisclosed herein, this disclosure will now describe one or more methodsthat may be performed by various aspects of the disclosure. In aspects,method 300 may be executed by an example system, such as system 100 ofFIG. 1. In examples, method 300 may be executed on a device, such asinput processing unit 200, comprising at least one processor configuredto store and execute operations, programs or instructions. However,method 300 is not limited to such examples. In other examples, method300 may be performed on an application or service for providing peerdevice protection. In at least one example, method 300 may be executed(e.g., computer-implemented operations) by one or more components of adistributed network, such as a web service/distributed network service(e.g. cloud service).

FIG. 3 illustrates an example method 300 for peer device protection, asdescribed herein. Example method 300 begins at operation 302, where oneor more peer devices may be detected by a security device. In aspects, asecurity device having access to one or more cybersecurity solutions,such as security agent 202, may be connected to a network orcommunication link (e.g., a peer network) comprising one or more peerdevices. The cybersecurity solution may provide for detecting,mitigating, preventing and/or remediating security issues detected inthe network. The security device may have access to a network detectionutility, such as device detection engine 204. The network detectionutility may implement tools, such as a network scanning utility,listener component and/or discovery protocols. The security device mayuse such a network detection utility to detect the various device statesof peer devices on the network. For example, the network detectionutility may detect when peer devices connect to the network, disconnectfrom the network, change power states (e.g., enter/exit sleep mode or anidle state), etc. A list of devices and/or device states detected usingthe network detection utility may be generated and stored in one or moredata stores. The list may comprise data related to device identificationinformation (e.g., identifier, type, configuration, address, etc.), userinformation (e.g., identifier, group/member data, permission sets,etc.), activity information (e.g., network join/exit times and entrypoints), device state, network stat, etc.

At operation 304, one or more peer devices may be monitored by asecurity device. In aspects, a security device may monitor each peerdevice detected on a peer network using a monitoring utility, such asmonitoring agent 206. The monitoring may comprise one or more passivemonitoring techniques. In examples, a passive monitoring mode may enablethe security device to passively monitor communications between peerdevices (e.g., devices connect to the peer network), communicationsbetween one or more peer devices and one or more remote devices, networkactivity, etc. For instance, a mobile device comprising a securitysolution may be connected to a peer network. The mobile device mayimplement or utilize a passive monitoring mode incorporating apromiscuous setting or mode. In at least one example, the promiscuoussetting (or a different network monitoring setting) may be implementedby a network device, such as a firewall or router. The promiscuous modemay enable the security device to access and/or process all (orsubstantially all) of the network data packets received by, andtransferred within, the peer network; thereby, providing the securitydevice a more comprehensive view of the peer network health andbehavior.

In some aspects, the monitoring by the security device may additionallyor alternately comprise active monitoring techniques. In examples, thesecurity device may request data packets and information from peerdevices and/or remote devices at periodic intervals, on demand, or uponthe satisfaction of one or more criteria. For instance, a mobile devicecomprising a security solution may be connected to a peer network. Themobile device may perform periodic penetration tests (e.g., simulatedattacks on a computing system or device) of peer devices to identitysecurity vulnerabilities. Alternately, the mobile device may cause aremote device or service to assess the security and/or exposure of oneor more peer devices. As an example, the mobile device may solicit acloud-based service outside of the peer network to monitor publicexposure of the peer network and/or one or more peer devices on the peernetwork. The cloud-based service may initiate active monitoring of thepeer network (or devices thereon) when a new device joins (or attemptsto join) the peer network, or based on some other criteria.

In aspects, the monitored data may be used to create one or more deviceand/or network behavior profiles. The behavior profiles may comprise orrepresent expected behaviors, events and states for one or more users,accounts, devices, device types, networks, or the like. For example, thesecurity device may generate a behavior profile for each peer devicethat has connected to the peer network, one or more network devices ofthe peer network, peer device types/models, remote devices and devicetypes, domains names and addresses, etc. The behavior profiles maycomprise timestamps, join/exit events, device state information, networkstate information, trust levels, etc. The behavior profiles may bestored and used for device authorization and/or threat detection.

At operation 306, threat detection may be applied to monitored data. Inaspects, a threat detection utility, such as threat detection engine208, may have access to the monitored data. The security device mayapply one or more data evaluation utilities (e.g., decision logic, rulesets, machine learning models, etc.) to the monitored data. For example,the threat detection utility may apply machine learning techniques to aset of monitored data for peer devices on a peer network. Applying themachine learning techniques may include parsing the monitored data togenerate or identify a set of network/device behavior features. Eachbehavior feature may represent an individual measurable property of anetwork transmission or an observed device/network event. The set ofbehavior features may be used to construct one or more feature vectors.The threat detection utility may then evaluate the feature vectors todetermine whether the monitored data represents, or is otherwiseindicative of, anomalous device or network behavior. In examples,evaluating a feature vector may include comparing the data comprised inthe feature vectors to one or more behavior profiles generated inoperation 304. For instance, the feature vector data may be compared toexpected login events (e.g., authorization information, logintimes/locations, etc.) and network activity (e.g., search topics, dwellduration, stylistic consistencies in user input/signals, etc.) for apeer device or peer device type. In other examples, evaluating a featurevector may include evaluating the feature vector data against a list(e.g., a white list, black list, grey list, etc.) of known (orsuspicious) virus definitions, events, device types, device addresses,domains, or the like. In yet other examples, evaluating a feature vectormay include applying a feature vector to a behavior model. For instance,a behavior model may receive a feature vector as input. The behaviormodel may evaluate each feature of the feature vector to generate one ormore threat values/metrics. The threat values/metrics may represent theprobability that a feature is representative of anomalous or maliciousactivity. The behavior model may then apply a behavioral algorithm toone or more of the threat values/metrics to generate an overall threatscore for the one or more activities or states represented by thefeature vector.

At operation 308, one or more IOCs may be generated. In aspects, ifanomalous activity is detected or suspected by the threat detectionutility described in operation 306, one or more IOCs representative ofthe anomalous activity may be generated. The IOC may comprise one ormore identifiers, one or more keywords, a link (e.g., to supportdocumentation, FAQs, a remedy agent, network activity data, etc.), anexecutable script, a set of instructions, etc. For example, the threatdetection utility may assign to a feature vector a threat scoreindicating a high probability that a remote device is (or waspreviously) attempting a denial of service (DoS) attack. In response tothe threat score, a DoS-specific IOC may be generated. The DoS-specificIOC may comprise an IOC identifier, a description of the identifiedanomalous behavior (e.g., the DoS attack), a link to a DoS FAQ, and anembedded script. The embedded script may enable a user to initiate aremedy by clicking on (or otherwise activating) the embedded script. Asone example, the embedded script may comprise a link that, whenactivated, terminates communication between a peer device (or networkdevice) and the remote device performing the DoS attack. As anotherexample, the embedded script may be operable to classify the remotedevice performing the DoS attack as a threat, and add the remote deviceto one or more lists (e.g., a black list or a grey list).

At operation 310, a remedy may be applied to anomalous behavior. Inaspects, a remediation utility, such as remediation engine 210, may haveaccess to one or more of the IOCs. The remediation utility may evaluateIOCs to determine an appropriate set of actions available to beperformed in order to remedy a threat to peer devices or the peer devicenetwork. Non-exhaustive examples of actions available to the remediationutility may include installing (or causing to be installed) a securitysolution on one or more peer devices, using the security device toexecute a security solution for a peer device, modifying theconfiguration of one or more network devices (e.g., a firewall, arouter, etc.) or peer devices, interrupting the network traffic betweena remote device and a peer device, interrupting the network trafficbetween peer devices, and leveraging an external security solution toapply security to one or more peer devices. In aspects, evaluating anIOC may comprise searching or parsing the IOC to determineaction-identifying information, sources to perform actions, threatclassifications or analyses, or the like. As an example, an IOC may beparsed to identify an identifier or keyword(s) associated with thedetected anomalous behavior. The identifier/keyword may be used toidentify or classify a type of threat or type of behavior. For instance,an IOC comprising details related to a detected DoS attack may comprisethe keywords “DoS attack.” The keywords “DoS attack” may be provided toa search utility correlating keywords to one or more services, scriptsand/or suggested actions. In response, the search utility may providesuggested actions (e.g., “terminate connection,” “black list remotedevice,” “report remote device”) and corresponding scripts orinstruction sets. In response to selecting an action or an associatedinstruction set, the corresponding script may be executed and thesuggested action may be performed. In another example, an IOC maycomprise an overall threat score indicating a probability of anomalousactivity on a peer network. The IOC may be evaluated against a set ofrules comprising value ranges (e.g., threat score ranges) andcorresponding threat classifications. For instance, a rule set mayspecify that values 0-60 represent “no threat,” values 61-90 represent“suspected threat,” and values 91-100 represent “known threat.” The ruleset may additionally specify that values 0-60 prompt no action to betaken, values 61-90 represent prompt a security scan of a peer device,and values 91-100 represent prompt a security solution tailored to theknown threat type.

FIG. 4 illustrates one example of a suitable operating environment 400in which one or more of the present embodiments may be implemented. Thisis only one example of a suitable operating environment and is notintended to suggest any limitation as to the scope of use orfunctionality. Other well-known computing systems, environments, and/orconfigurations that may be suitable for use include, but are not limitedto, personal computers, server computers, hand-held or laptop devices,multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based systems, programmableconsumer electronics such as smart phones, network PCs, minicomputers,mainframe computers, distributed computing environments that include anyof the above systems or devices, and the like.

In its most basic configuration, operating environment 400 typicallyincludes at least one processing unit 402 and memory 404. Depending onthe exact configuration and type of computing device, memory 404(storing, among other things, monitored data, threat detection data, IOCdata, instructions to perform the methods disclosed herein, etc.) may bevolatile (such as RAM), non-volatile (such as ROM, flash memory, etc.),or some combination of the two. This most basic configuration isillustrated in FIG. 4 by dashed line 406. Further, environment 400 mayalso include storage devices (removable, 408, and/or non-removable, 410)including, but not limited to, magnetic or optical disks or tape.Similarly, environment 400 may also have input device(s) 414 such askeyboard, mouse, pen, voice input, etc. and/or output device(s) 416 suchas a display, speakers, printer, etc. Also included in the environmentmay be one or more communication connections, 412, such as LAN, WAN,point to point, etc.

Operating environment 400 typically includes at least some form ofcomputer readable media. Computer readable media can be any availablemedia that can be accessed by processing unit 402 or other devicescomprising the operating environment. By way of example, and notlimitation, computer readable media may comprise computer storage mediaand communication media. Computer storage media includes volatile andnonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any methodor technology for storage of information such as computer readableinstructions, data structures, program modules or other data. Computerstorage media includes, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memorytechnology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other opticalstorage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage orother magnetic storage devices, or any other non-transitory medium whichcan be used to store the desired information. Computer storage mediadoes not include communication media.

Communication media embodies computer readable instructions, datastructures, program modules, or other data in a modulated data signalsuch as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism and includes anyinformation delivery media. The term “modulated data signal” means asignal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed insuch a manner as to encode information in the signal. By way of example,and not limitation, communication media includes wired media such as awired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such asacoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media. Combinations of the anyof the above should also be included within the scope of computerreadable media.

The operating environment 400 may be a single computer operating in anetworked environment using logical connections to one or more remotecomputers. The remote computer may be a personal computer, a server, arouter, a network PC, a peer device or other common network node, andtypically includes many or all of the elements described above as wellas others not so mentioned. The logical connections may include anymethod supported by available communications media. Such networkingenvironments are commonplace in offices, enterprise-wide computernetworks, intranets and the Internet.

Aspects of the present disclosure provide a system comprising: at leastone processor; and memory coupled to the at least one processor, thememory comprising computer executable instructions that, when executedby the at least one processor, performs a method for peer deviceprotection, the method comprising: detecting one or more peer devices ona network; monitoring, by a security device, the detected one or morepeer devices to generate monitored data, wherein the security device isa peer of the one or more peer devices and comprises a securitysolution; applying, by the security device, threat detection to themonitored data to identify anomalous behavior; generating one or moreindicators of compromise corresponding to the identified anomalousbehavior; and based on the one or more indicators of compromise, usingthe security device to remediate the identified anomalous behavior. Insome examples, detecting the one or more peer devices comprisesrecording at least one of: peer device identification information, userinformation and network activity information. In some examples, themonitoring comprises using a passive monitoring mode, wherein thepassive monitoring mode enables the security device to passively monitorcommunications between the one or more peer devices and passivelymonitor communications between the one or more peer devices and one ormore remote devices. In some examples, monitoring comprises using anactive monitoring mode, wherein the active monitoring mode enables thesecurity device to request data packets and information from the one ormore peer devices. In some examples, the monitoring comprises using anactive monitoring mode, wherein the active monitoring mode enables thesecurity device to cause a remoted device external to the network toassess at least one of the one or more peer devices. In some examples,the monitored data is used to generate one or more behavior profilesrepresenting at least one of expected behavior, expected network events,expected device states and expected network states. In some examples,the one or more behavior profiles comprise at least one of: network joinevents, network exit events, device state information, network stateinformation and device trust levels. In some examples, applying threatdetection comprises: parsing the monitored data to generate or identifya set of behavior features; using the set of behavior features toconstruct one or more feature vectors; and evaluating the one or morefeature vectors to determine whether the monitored data is indicative ofanomalous activity. In some examples, evaluating the one or more featurevectors comprises evaluating the one or more feature vectors against atleast one of: a behavior profile, a set of virus definitions, a list ofdevice identifiers, a list of network identifiers and a behavioralmodel. In some examples, evaluating the one or more feature vectorsfurther comprises: generating one or more threat values for features ofthe one or more feature vectors; and applying the one or more threatvalues to a behavioral algorithm to generate an overall threat score. Insome examples, the one or more indicators of compromise comprise atleast one of: an identifier, a set of keywords, a link, an executablescript and a set of instructions. In some examples, remediating theidentified anomalous behavior comprises at least one of: installing thesecurity solution on at least one of the one or more peer devices;executing a security solution for at least one of the one or more peerdevices, wherein the security solution is executed from the securitydevice; modifying the configuration of one or more network devices onthe network; modifying the configuration of one or more peer devices;interrupting the network traffic between at least two of the one of theone or more peer devices; interrupting the network traffic between atleast one of the one of the one or more peer devices and a remotedevice; and leveraging an external security solution to apply securityto at least one of the one or more peer devices.

Aspects of the present disclosure further provide a method for peerdevice protection, the method comprising: detecting one or more peerdevices on a network; monitoring, by a security device, the detected oneor more peer devices to generate monitored data, wherein the securitydevice is a peer of the one or more peer devices and comprises asecurity solution; applying, by the security device, threat detection tothe monitored data to identify anomalous behavior; generating one ormore indicators of compromise corresponding to the identified anomalousbehavior; and based on the one or more indicators of compromise, usingthe security device to remediate the identified anomalous behavior. Insome examples, detecting the one or more peer devices comprises using atleast one of: a network scanning utility, a listener component anddiscovery protocols. In some examples, the monitored data is used togenerate one or more behavior profiles representing at least one ofexpected behavior, expected network events, expected device states andexpected network states. In some examples, the threat detectioncomprises the use of at least one of: virus detection, threat vectorgeneration and analysis, URL analysis, malware detection, networkanalysis, endpoint analysis and one or more threat models. In someexamples, the monitoring comprises using a passive monitoring mode,wherein the passive monitoring mode enables the security device topassively monitor communications between the one or more peer devicesand passively monitor communications between the one or more peerdevices and one or more remote devices. In some examples, the monitoringcomprises using an active monitoring mode, wherein the active monitoringmode enables the security device to request data packets and informationfrom the one or more peer devices. In some examples, remediating theidentified anomalous behavior comprises evaluating the one or moreindicators of compromise, wherein the evaluating comprises parsing theIOC to determine at least one of: action-identifying information,sources to perform actions, threat classifications and threat analysisdata.

Aspects of the present disclosure further provide a computer-readablestorage medium encoding computer executable instructions which, whenexecuted by at least one processor, performs a method for peer deviceprotection, the method comprising: detecting one or more peer devices ona network; monitoring, by a security device, the detected one or morepeer devices to generate monitored data, wherein the security device isa peer of the one or more peer devices and comprises a securitysolution; applying, by the security device, threat detection to themonitored data to identify anomalous behavior; generating one or moreindicators of compromise corresponding to the identified anomalousbehavior; and based on the one or more indicators of compromise, usingthe security device to remediate the identified anomalous behavior.

Aspects of the present disclosure, for example, are described above withreference to block diagrams and/or operational illustrations of methods,systems, and computer program products according to aspects of thedisclosure. The functions/acts noted in the blocks may occur out of theorder as shown in any flowchart. For example, two blocks shown insuccession may in fact be executed substantially concurrently or theblocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending uponthe functionality/acts involved.

The description and illustration of one or more aspects provided in thisapplication are not intended to limit or restrict the scope of thedisclosure as claimed in any way. The aspects, examples, and detailsprovided in this application are considered sufficient to conveypossession and enable others to make and use the best mode of claimeddisclosure. The claimed disclosure should not be construed as beinglimited to any aspect, example, or detail provided in this application.Regardless of whether shown and described in combination or separately,the various features (both structural and methodological) are intendedto be selectively included or omitted to produce an embodiment with aparticular set of features. Having been provided with the descriptionand illustration of the present application, one skilled in the art mayenvision variations, modifications, and alternate aspects falling withinthe spirit of the broader aspects of the general inventive conceptembodied in this application that do not depart from the broader scopeof the claimed disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system comprising: one or more processors; andmemory coupled to at least one of the one or more processors, the memorycomprising computer executable instructions that, when executed by theat least one processor, performs a method for peer device protection,the method comprising: detecting one or more peer devices on a network;monitoring, by a security device, the detected one or more peer devicesto generate monitored data, wherein the security device is a peer of theone or more peer devices and comprises a security solution; applying, bythe security device, threat detection to the monitored data to identifyanomalous behavior; generating one or more indicators of compromisecorresponding to the identified anomalous behavior; and based on the oneor more indicators of compromise, using the security device to remediatethe identified anomalous behavior.
 2. The system of claim 1, whereindetecting the one or more peer devices comprises recording at least oneof: peer device identification information, user information and networkactivity information.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoringcomprises using a passive monitoring mode, wherein the passivemonitoring mode enables the security device to passively monitorcommunications between the one or more peer devices and passivelymonitor communications between the one or more peer devices and one ormore remote devices.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoringcomprises using an active monitoring mode, wherein the active monitoringmode enables the security device to request data packets and informationfrom the one or more peer devices.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein themonitoring comprises using an active monitoring mode, wherein the activemonitoring mode enables the security device to cause a remoted deviceexternal to the network to assess at least one of the one or more peerdevices.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitored data is used togenerate one or more behavior profiles representing at least one ofexpected behavior, expected network events, expected device states andexpected network states.
 7. The system of claim 6, wherein the one ormore behavior profiles comprise at least one of: network join events,network exit events, device state information, network state informationand device trust levels.
 8. The system of claim 1, wherein applyingthreat detection comprises: parsing the monitored data to generate oridentify a set of behavior features; using the set of behavior featuresto construct one or more feature vectors; and evaluating the one or morefeature vectors to determine whether the monitored data is indicative ofanomalous activity.
 9. The system of claim 8, wherein evaluating the oneor more feature vectors comprises evaluating the one or more featurevectors against at least one of: a behavior profile, a set of virusdefinitions, a list of device identifiers, a list of network identifiersand a behavioral model.
 10. The system of claim 9, wherein evaluatingthe one or more feature vectors further comprises: generating one ormore threat values for features of the one or more feature vectors; andapplying the one or more threat values to a behavioral algorithm togenerate an overall threat score.
 11. The system of claim 1, wherein theone or more indicators of compromise comprise at least one of: anidentifier, a set of keywords, a link, an executable script and a set ofinstructions.
 12. The system of claim 1, wherein remediating theidentified anomalous behavior comprises at least one of: installing thesecurity solution on at least one of the one or more peer devices;executing a security solution for at least one of the one or more peerdevices, wherein the security solution is executed from the securitydevice; modifying the configuration of one or more network devices onthe network; modifying the configuration of one or more peer devices;interrupting the network traffic between at least two of the one of theone or more peer devices; interrupting the network traffic between atleast one of the one of the one or more peer devices and a remotedevice; and leveraging an external security solution to apply securityto at least one of the one or more peer devices.
 13. A method for peerdevice protection, the method comprising: detecting one or more peerdevices on a network; monitoring, by a security device, the detected oneor more peer devices to generate monitored data, wherein the securitydevice is a peer of the one or more peer devices and comprises asecurity solution; applying, by the security device, threat detection tothe monitored data to identify anomalous behavior; generating one ormore indicators of compromise corresponding to the identified anomalousbehavior; and based on the one or more indicators of compromise, usingthe security device to remediate the identified anomalous behavior. 14.The method of claim 13, wherein detecting the one or more peer devicescomprises using at least one of: a network scanning utility, a listenercomponent and discovery protocols.
 15. The method of claim 13, whereinthe monitored data is used to generate one or more behavior profilesrepresenting at least one of expected behavior, expected network events,expected device states and expected network states.
 16. The method ofclaim 13, wherein the threat detection comprises the use of at least oneof: virus detection, threat vector generation and analysis, URLanalysis, malware detection, network analysis, endpoint analysis and oneor more threat models.
 17. The method of claim 13, wherein themonitoring comprises using a passive monitoring mode, wherein thepassive monitoring mode enables the security device to passively monitorcommunications between the one or more peer devices and passivelymonitor communications between the one or more peer devices and one ormore remote devices.
 18. The method of claim 13, wherein the monitoringcomprises using an active monitoring mode, wherein the active monitoringmode enables the security device to request data packets and informationfrom the one or more peer devices.
 19. The method of claim 13, whereinremediating the identified anomalous behavior comprises evaluating theone or more indicators of compromise, wherein the evaluating comprisesparsing the IOC to determine at least one of: action-identifyinginformation, sources to perform actions, threat classifications andthreat analysis data.
 20. A computer-readable storage medium encodingcomputer executable instructions which, when executed by at least oneprocessor, performs a method for peer device protection, the methodcomprising: detecting one or more peer devices on a network; monitoring,by a security device, the detected one or more peer devices to generatemonitored data, wherein the security device is a peer of the one or morepeer devices and comprises a security solution; applying, by thesecurity device, threat detection to the monitored data to identifyanomalous behavior; generating one or more indicators of compromisecorresponding to the identified anomalous behavior; and based on the oneor more indicators of compromise, using the security device to remediatethe identified anomalous behavior.